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March is Women's History Month!

Deadly Accidents Over the Thanksgiving Holiday

At least five people lost their lives in traffic accidents over the long Thanksgiving Holiday period in central Alabama.  It all started Thanksgiving day when two people died in a crash at a Montgomery intersection.  Police say 78-year-old Loubertha Phyfier and 62-year-old Marion Lewis were killed when the car they were driving was struck by another vehicle at the corner of Rosa Parks Avenue and West Edgemont Avenue.  40-year-old Marquis Coleman of Montgomery has been charged with reckless murder and DUI in connection with the accident.  

Friday night an Orrville man died in a one-vehicle accident in Dallas County.  State Troopers have identified the victim as 57-year-old Clarence Lee Bennett.  He was reportedly driving a car that left County Road 3 about two miles north of Orrville and struck a utility pole.  

Another single-vehicle wreck happened Saturday evening in Autauga County.  58-year-old Randy Wayne Self of Prattville was killed when the care he was driving ran off I-65 about four miles south of Pine Level and struck an embankment.  

Still another one-vehicle crash in Macon County.  It happened about three miles southwest of Tuskegee on County Road 37.  Troopers say 40-year-old Erick Brooks of Notasulga died when he ran off the road and overturned.  Authorities say Brooks had refused to stop for a traffic violation prior to the wreck occurring.  

Boycott Anniversary

An observance tonight will mark the 59th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  The Ralph D. Abernathy Civil Rights Lecture Series is being hosted by the Montgomery Improvement Association and the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.  The commemoration will be held at First Baptist Church on North Ripley Street, which was the site of mass meetings around the time of the boycott in 1955.  Keynote speaker for the event is the Rev. Clarence P. Noble, pastor of the Greater St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Tuskegee.  It starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.  

Festival of Lights

The Montgomery Zoo is transforming itself into a winter wonderland this week as the Christmas Lights Festival begins December 4th.  The 23rd annual event takes place in section of day from December 4th thru the 7th, 11th thru the 14th and 18th thru the 31st.  In addition to the light displays throughout the zoo, a variety of entertainment will be offered.  Admission for the Christmas Lights Festival is $15 dollars for everyone ages 3 and up.  

Income Growth

The Montgomery Metro Area led all cities in the state in per capita income growth at 1.9 percent for 2013.  According to a story in the Montgomery Advertiser the numbers were released by the Bureau of Economics Statistics.  Following Montgomery is Decatur at 1.8 percent then Florence/Muscle Shoals at 1.7 percent with Gadsden and Dothan rounding out the top five.  For the state, Alabama's per capita income growth was slightly above the nation's at 1.5 percent.